We have a 72 Ford 302 that has a ticking lifter...it has rocker arm adjusting nuts that tighten all the way down (apparently) with no adjustment...however, looking on line, some guys say they are adjustable, others say they are just tightened down till the nuts bottom out... we took a 5/16 washer and put it under the adjusting nut and was able to take the ticking away...but are not sure what the heck to do...without the washer there is no way to adjust the valves to no lash plus 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 turn...like a SBC... this is the first SBF I've ever worked on, always been SBC or flatties...any help here from the Ford folks would be great....thanks Ron
When you tighten those down, it is supposed to put the lifter in the middle range. But many things can change that. If the ticking went away, run it! Bones
A stock 302 has non-adjustable valvetrain. If the lifter is ticking, something is out of spec. The rocker studs are just pressed in and have been known to pull out, so check if the top of the studs are all the same height. Exhaust valves may have lash caps. Make sure those are in place.
If you remove the nut and rocker and find a ball, you should have adjustable rockers with a pressed in stud. If you have a 5/16" bolt holding the rocker on you have the non adjustable pedistal rockers. If the engine is in original condition, I think it should have stud, ball and nut setup. Sometimes a stud will pull. All that I worked on were adjustable, not set till the nut bottomed out but there are enough differences that I can't say for sure. At tdc on firing, I would attempt to set the rocker the same as a sbc starting with no slack in the pushrod and going down a 1/4 turn untill maybe 3/4 max.
Ford built small blocks with the ball-style rockers where you just ran the nuts down until they stopped starting in '68 according to a couple of sources. These weren't designed to be adjustable. There is some confusion however. My '69 factory Ford service manual does show an adjustment procedure for the 302, but the 351 had the positive stops. But if you're running the nuts down until they stop and then have to add a washer to eliminate the noise and the motor is running smoothly, it's a pretty sure bet that's what you have. It will have rail rockers (a 'C' channel that the valve stem fits into), check to make sure the rails aren't contacting the valve retainer. Sometimes a rebuilder will reface the end of the valve too much (there is a longer minimum length above the valve locks for rail rockers compared to the earlier heads without them), and the rocker will hit the retainer. Good way to drop a valve.... AMHIK...Higher lift cams can cause this also. Then again, it could be a lifter or cam starting to fail.
Yep, if a washer under the nut 'fixes' it, that is pushing the ball and rocker down more than designed. Something is shorter; cam base circle, lifter, pushrod, a bent rocker or a shorter valve installed height. Or the stud is not allowing the nut to go down enough, either stud stretched, different than the rest, pulling or backing out. That's the basics. Up to you to compare the 'good' parts and the 'suspect' parts to see if you can spot a difference.
@PackardV8 true, cams usually don't flatten in service on a single lobe. I just wanted to lay out what is happening and all the possible causes. At least it's not carb or electric! @Ron Brown , every engine family is going to have quirks and unique issues. Good to ask if this is something common on an unfamiliar make. But they all share basic layout and careful comparing of the offending cylinder's parts to it's neighbor's should turn up the offending part(s). If everything seems to match, I have seen lifters start to collapse or not fully pump up when the oil gets thin. That was a thing before the bottoms started tearing up. The tolerances between the body and plunger were too loose. I wouldn't swap lifters to check for obvious reasons, but you can try running the engine and using a hammer handle or wood dowel, lean on the pushrod end of the rocker to force the lifter plunger in and see if it fills up properly. A bit of dirt can cause them to stick. Judging from the picture, you are a lot deeper than that, though.
I learned this many moons ago…… SBCs, FEs, Y blocks… All of these will click and clack. Tick tick tick Ping ping ping They just do. If a SBF is making a noise…. Something is wrong with it. My slight “ lifter tick” was #1 piston skirt bouncing in cylinder. If you have to use extra hardware like miscellaneous washers to stop a noise….. Something is not right.
Bail Now!!!!!!! Jump!!!!!! even if you don’t have a parachute. Suddenly, become a mechanical dummy. What’s that clicky thing? I don’t know. Is this a Tesla? Figuring out your own stuff is bad enough. The friend factor puts this into a 5 alarm poop show. I could tell the joke about the two dogs in the park.
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